January 3, 2012

Hari Ragat: Lineage Names

Vijadesan heroes always set great store by their genealogy, taking great pride in their lineage and their ability to recount it.

As a shorthand to this, men and women of the Orang Dakila caste usually take names that trace their lineage to a founding ancestor, either one of the Ten Sires or a hero of old. For an ancestor to be counted as part of your lineage name, that ancestor must have ruled a bayan of his own, or have established himself as a hero by some prodigious deed such as slaying a Dalaketnon giant or a Mameleu dragon.

The naming formula is personal given name first, followed by one or more names taken from distinguished ancestors. The longer the name string, the more distinguished your lineage!

For example, Rajah Amats Tarhata Dakila Sikanda Bayahari is Amats, descendant of Tarhata, descendant of Dakila, who was descendant of Sikanda Bayahari.

Gnomes. Their full names are actually a litany of their ancestors and their deeds. Some pride themselves on having a name that spans a whole book and are either elated or disappointed when humans cut down their names to the first two syllables.